Markus Rediger leads a quartet to lead IFAJ

Will they open up for new members as IFAJ strives to see a hunger free WorldDelegates at International Federation of Agricultural Journalists recently voted one lady and three gentlemen to steer the activities of IFAJ for the coming years. The elected officers; Riitta Mustonen, Finland - Secretary General, Markus Rediger, Switzerland - President, James Campbell, Ireland - Treasurer, Owen Roberts, Canada - Vice President will serve the organization till 2014 when their term will expire. The quartet were voted into office at Sanga Saby Congress hotel ( the farmers hotel situated at lake Malaren, 35km from Stockholm.) The election of the new members came after the Sweden, the host of this year’s congress presented their farm techniques on the theme for this year’s congress Solutions for a Green FutureBelow is a brief biography of the new board membersPresident: Markus Rediger of Switzerland, is the managing editor of Landwirtschaftlicher Informationsdienst for the Agricultural Information Center LID in Bern, Switzerland. Markus has previously served as IFAJ vice president and treasurer. He also co-chaired the 49th IFAJ congress held in Switzerland and is active with the Swiss Guild of Agricultural Journalists. Vice President: Owen Roberts of Canada, is the director of research communications and an agricultural communications professor at the University of Guelph. He is also a freelance journalist. He was the past IFAJ secretary general. He co-chaired the 2011 IFAJ Congress in Canada and helped developed the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism award and Master Class program. He has been involved with the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation since 1988. Secretary General: Riitta Mustonen of Finland was elected to secretary general. Riitta is a journalist in Maaseudun Tulevaisuus, working with the Farmers’ Unionnewspaper. Riitta is a member of the board of Agricultural Journalists’ guild of Finland and former president of the guild. She also helped organize the IFAJ Congresses in Finland in 1986 and 2001 and the pre-congress tour in 2012.Treasurer: James Campbell of Northern Ireland was elected treasurer, a capacity he has served since 2008. James is the editor of the Northern Edition of Irish Farmers Journal. James is an active member of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland, and served as the Northern Section of the Guild’s treasurer for 20 years. He is also a past chairman of the Northern Section and was president of the ‘All-Ireland’ Guild from 1993 until 1996.

Mike Wilson, the former president IFAJ, will serve a one-year term as past president. The new board however have a daunting task in bringing in more countries as members citing the number of IFAJ member countries in 2012. The whole of Africa, South Africa and Kenya are the only members. Hopes are that the new board consider other countries such as Burkina Faso, Burundi, Gambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and DR Congo.By Sang Mendy